Lubricant-pressure-controlling means for internal-combustion engines



F. E. -BLANCHARD LUBRICANT FRESSURB. CONTROLLING MEANS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Marbh 26. 1923 s Sheets-Sheet 1 1 D R A H C N A L B E F March 16 1926'.

Filed March 26. 1923 .ZfE/azoaraf March 16 1926. 1,576,502

' F. E. BLANCHARD' LUBRICANT PRESSURE CONTROLLING MEANSJFOR rurmnmucomauswxou mamas 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 26, 1923 km v Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

UNETED ST T E S FRANK E. BLANCHARD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

LUBRICANT-IPRESSURE-CONTROLLINGMEANS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed March 26, 1923. Serial No. 627,553.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. BLANCHARD, a citizen of the United States, residing in the' city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new .and useful Improvements in Lubricantthis patent a pressure lubricating system is disclosed, and my. present invention constitutes an improvement on this system by regulating the pressure of the oil in' accordance with variations in the engine speed and in the load thereon.

An internal combustion engine requires the maximum amount of lubrication when heavily loaded, and'comparatively little lubrication when idling orrunning under a light load. When running under a heavy load, with the throttle open, a slight vacuum only is produced'in the cylinders above the pistons and in the intake manifold, but when idling or running under a light load, with the throttle nearly closed, the vacuum in the intake manifold and also in the cylinders above the pistons is relatively high. The

high vacuum in the cylinders tends to cause the lubricating oil to be drawn past the pis tons into the firing s aces of the cylinders, where. is becomes car onized and fouls the spark plugs. Furthermore, this excess oil on the cylinder walls absorbsconsiderable unburned fuel, and when thus diluted, washes back into the sump of the engine, diluting the reservoir supply of lubricating medium, Which'interferes with proper lubrication and running of the engine;

One of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a lubricant pressure controlling means which will be responsive to variations in the vacuum of the intake mani-,

fold, and will vary the fluid pressure in the lubricating system in accordance with these variations so as to thereby effect a saving in the use of the lubricating medium, and also prevent an oversupply of lubricant from reaching'the cylinders of the engine.

vide an effectual seal between the lubricating system and the intake manifold so as to prevent the vacuum of the intake manifoldfrom drawing the lubricant from the system ilnto the manifold, and thence into the cyliners.

A further object is to eliminate the piston and cylinder construction heretofore em ployed with mechanisms of this class, thereby obviating the labor of closely fitting such pistons in their cylinders and also obviating the dangers of failure of the controlling mechanism, which previously has resulted from the entrance of dirt or grit between the controlling piston and its surrounding barrel. Furthermore, my invention obviates the necessity of accurate construction of the piston barrel and provides a construction which is much simpler, less expensive, and more etficient.

Other objects and advantages of the invention should be readilyappreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the followin description, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a partial side elevation and partial section of an internal combustion englne embodying my invention, certain parts being broken away to more clearly show other parts located farther back;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end view, artially in section, looking toward the le t at Fig. 1, and with the front portion of the timing gear casing removed;

3 is a fragmentary sectional view of my improved device; and

Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are vertical. sectional views of modified forms of the controlling device. I I

Referring to-the drawings more in detail, and particularly to Figs. 1 and '2 thereof, reference character 7 indicates the en ine block provided with the cylinders 8, and to which are attached .the exhaust manifold 9 i and the intake manifold 11. The main crank shaft 12 is journaled inv suitable bearings 13 and 14 at the front and rear ends of the engine, and is provided with the usual cranks 15 to which the connecting rods 16,

attached at their upper ends to the istons 17, are connected. The cam shaft 18 is provided with the usual cams or tappets '19 v3 for actuating the push rods 21; which con-' Another object of this invention is to protrol the inlet and exhaust valves 22 and 23,

respectively. The timing and othergears, indicated generally by reference character 24, are located at the forward end of the block, and the lower half 25 of the crank case encloses the crank shaft and forms an oil reservoir in which the engine lubricantis contained. The parts thus far described may be of any well known or preferred construction, and those shown are illustrative merely of internal combustion engines generally, to which my invention is applicable.

Near the bottom of the crank case there is disposed an oil pump 26, preferably of the rotary type, driven by a vertical shaft 27, provided at its upper end with a worm wheel 28 adapted to meshwith and be driven by a-worm-disposed on the cam shaft 18. The oil drawn into the pump from the crank case reservoir is delivered by the pump through a discharge passage 29 to the main lubricant distributing pipe 31, extending longitudinally of the engine and communicating through ducts 32, and others not shown, with the various bearings of the engine which are to be supplied with the lubricant. 1

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be observed that the distributing pipe 31 communicates through a passage 33 with the front hearing of the crank shaft 12, and a passage 34 extending upwardly from this bearing is etpliipped with the control mechanism by w ich the pressure of the lubricant in the oilin system is controlled. This passage is en arged near its uppe1 end, as indicated at 35, to provide a chamber in which is disposed the lubricant pressure controlling valve 36, which, as will be apparent in the form of the invention shown in Fig. 4, consists of a ball valve adapted to close against a seat 37, located in the passage. When the valve is held against its seat, the pressure of the oil in the lubricating system rises as the oil is continually delivered thereto by the pump 26 until the oil .pressure is high enough to take care of the maximum reguirements of the engine when running uner full load. The control mechanism,

I which will be later described, regulates the pressure under which this valve will be forced from its seat and the oil then escaping around the valve will overflow through the port 38 back into the crank case reservoir, or if the ball valve 36 should be laterally displaced so as to close this port, the oil will then overflow through the upper port 39.

The pressure valve cont'rollin mechanism comprises a cylinder 41, threa ed-into' the open upper end of the chamber 35 and provided at its lower end with a tubular member 42 slidably mounted for verticalreciprocatory movements, and with its lower end projecting into the chamber 35. A coiled expansion spring 43, interposed between the projecting end of this member 42 and the all valve 36, serves to yieldingly hold the valve 36 against its seat so as to cause the pressure in the lubricating system to build up until it is sufliciently high to overcome the tension of the spring and lift the ball from its seat. The normal tension of this spring may be regulated by interposing the requisite number of washers or gaskets 44 between the upper end of the chamber 35 and the annular shoulder formed near the lower end of the cylinder 41.

For the purpose of automatically varying the tension of the spring 43 to thereby regulate the pressure at which the valve 36 will open in accordance with varia-' tions in the vacuum produced inthe intake manifold, I have provided mechanism which will now be described. Referring to Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive, it will be observed that upon the upper end of the member 42 there is mounted a disk 45, to the upper face of which is attached an expansible and contracti-ble member 46,'preferably made of thin metal, and of the generalconstruction commercially knpwn as a sylphon. The joint between the expansible member and the disk 45 is sealed by solder or otherwise, and the upper end of this member is similarly connected by a sealed joint to a disk 47, Figs. 4, 5, and 6, and to a slightly differently shaped disk 48 in Fig. 3. The top of the cylider 46 is closed by a cap .49 threaded thereon, and a gasket 51 is preferabl interposed between this 'top and the dis 47 to insure against leakage around the disk. It

will be apparent, therefore, that an effectual seal is established between the oiling system and the interior of the expansible member,

which is connected by a suction pipe 52 with the intake manifold 11. No oil can, therefore, be drawn by the suction exerted through this pipe from the lubricating system into the manifold from which it would be delivered into the cylinders above the pistons.

Suction exerted upon the interior of the expansible member 46 from the intake manifold through the pipe '52 tends to collapse this member longitudinally so that the downward pressure u on the tubular member 42 is reduced, there y permitting the valve 36 to open under a reduced oil pressure. The

normal downward pressure upon the member 42 is preferably augmented by an ex ansion spring 53, disposed within the memer 46 and centered upon the disk 45. The, pressure of this spring may be regulated b an adjusting screw 54, extending throng the cap 49, as illustratedin Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, and in Fig. 4. Should the spring, however, be of the proper tension and strength to meet the requirements of any particular make of engine, this adjustment quired under these conditions.

shown in Figs. 4

longitudinally, permitting the control valve 36 to be lifted from its seat by a relatively low oil pressure in the lubricating system, with the result that under these conditions the lubricant willbe delivered to the various parts under a relatively low pressure, and only in such quantities as may be re- Should the throttle be opened, however, as occurs when the engine is running under a heavy load,

the vacuum in the intake manifold will be very materially reduced, and the suction exerte'd through the pipe 52 upon the member 46 will be slight. The member under these conditions will expand longitudinally, assisted by the spring 53, to force the member 42 downwardly and thereby increase the tension on the spring 43 so that the control valve 36 will hold the oil in thelubricating system under the high pressure required by these conditions. The lubricant will therefore be delivered to the various. parts under high pressure and in the quantities required to sufficiently lubricate these parts in accordance with the requirements of the laboring engine.

In theform of the invention shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the suction pipe 52 enters through the top' of the cap 49, whereas-in the other figures this pipe is shown as entering the side of the cap and communicating with the interior of the expansible, member 46 through a port 55. While the lubricant pressure in the oiling system may be varied in accordance with fluctuations in the vacuum in the intake manifold, and may be immediately responsive to these fluctuations,

as would be the case in the structure shown in Fig. 4'where the pipe 52'communicates unrestrictedly with the interior of the expansible member 46, I find it preferable to delay or retard, the decrease of the oil pressurein order that sufficient lubricant will be supplied to the moving parts while the engine is slowing down. The desirable I method of operation is that the oil pressure be increased directly in proportion to the decrease in vacuum 1n the manifold, but that upon sudden lncrease of ,vacuum in the manifold, as, for instance, when the engine is quickly throttled, the decrease in,oil pres sure in the lubricating system may be delayed to insure adequate lubrication to the parts of the engine until the engine slows down to a speed where less lubrication is required.

With this end in view, I have provided, as best shown in Fig. 3, an auxiliary valve shown in this instance as a ball valve 56 adapted to close a port 57 betweenthe expansible member 46 and the chamber 58, to which the pipe 52 is connected. This valve is normally retained against its seat by a spring 57 supported by the disk 58. When the vacuum in the intake manifold, and

consequently in the pipe 52, diminishes, the

pressure between the pipe and the expansible member will immediately equalize, since pressure may flow downwardly through port 55 and also downwardly around valve 56, which will unseat in a downward direction. The member 46 may therefore immediately expand to increase the tension of spring 43, and thereby raise the pressure in the oiling system directly in proportion to the increase in pressure inthe intake manifold resulting from the opening of the throttle. When, however, the throttle is quickly closed, thereby increasing the vacuum in the manifold, the valve 56 will be forced against its seat by the suction exerted through pipe 52 and the air can be withdrawn from the expansible member 46 only through the restricted port 55, thus retarding the contraction of the member 46, and consequently delaying the decrease in lubricant pressure in the oiling system so that sufficient oil supply to the moving parts will be insured until the momentum of the engine has been overcome and its speed reduced to a point where less lubrication is required.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 6, a differently shaped disk 61 is employed in lieu of the disk 48 and instead of providing a seat in the cap itself, a second disk 62 is employed, which is providedwith a port 63 adapted to be closed by a valve 64, normally urged toward its seat by spring 65. A relief port 66 through thedisk' 62 performs the same function as the port 55,

previously described. The operation of this form of the inventlon is substantially the same as. that of the construction shown in Fig. 3.

f a restricted port 55 alone be employed,

as shown in Fig. 5, both the expanding and contracting movements of the expansible member 46 will be slightly retarded, depend ing upon the size of this port; but since the oil pressure should be increasedsubstantiah 1y as fast as the vacuum in the manifold demeet these requirements, and at the same time conserves the oil, as well as preventing an excess supply to the cylinders, which, as previously explained, would diminish the efficiency of the engine. lVhile I have shown and described those embodiments of the invention which at present appear preferable, it should be manifest that various modifications in the structural details disclosed may be resorted to within the purview of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A valve for internal combustion engine pressure lubricating systems comprising, acasing divided into a plurality of chambers, one of said chambers having lubricant inlet and outlet ports and a check valve normally closing one of said ports, a second chamber having an expansile and contractile element therein arranged and constructed to be responsive to pressure variations in the 'engine fuel feeding means, means interposed between said second 'chamber and the said feeding means whereby said element lags in response to a variation in pressure and a mechanical fluid-tight connection between said element and said valve.

2. A valve for internal combustion engine pressure lubricating systems comprising, a casing, a chamber in said casing having an inlet port for connection to the lubricant feed line, a. bi-pass port and a valve and valve seat cooperative to open and close one of said ports, a fluid-tight second chamber,

an element therein responsive to pressure variations, means to connect said element with a portion of the engine having pressure characteristics varying in accordance with engine load and speed characteristics and means interposed between said element and said portion whereby the rates of response of said element'to changes of pressure are relatively varied.

3. A valve for internal combustion engine pressure lubricating systems comprising, a casing, a chamber in said casing having an inlet ort for connectiontothe lubricant feed line, a bi-pass port and a valve and valve seat cooperative to open and close one of said ports, a fluid-tight second chamber, a metal bellows therein responsive to pressure variations, means to connect said metal bellows with a portion of the engine having pressure characteristics varying in accordance with engine load and speed characteristics and means interposed between said metal bellows and said portion whereby the rates of response of said metal bellows to changes of pressure are relatively varied.

4. A valve for internal combustion engine pressure lubricating systems comprising, a casing, a chamber in said casing having an inlet port for connection to the lubricant feed line, a bi-pass port and a valve and valve seat cooperative to open and close one of said ports, a fluid-tight second chamber, an element therein responsive to pressure variations, means to connect said element with a portion of the engine having pressure characteristics varying in accordance with'engine load and speed characteristics and means interposed between said element and said portion whereby the rates of re sponse of said element to changes of pressure are relatively varied, said last named means including a port, valve means operative to open and close said stricted leakage port.

FRANK E. BLANCHARD.

port and a relatively re- 

